Tri-County Produce Santa Barbara
The building where Tri-County Produce is located was built in 1950 for Harry Bowman. For years, Harry distributed wholesale produce to the tri-counties, delivering to restaurants, schools and stores.
In 1976, Harry Bowman sold the business to Virgil and Marie Eliot, who decided to open Tri-County Produce to the public. They sold it to Jim Dixon and his son, John, in 1985.
Jim Dixon was raised on his father’s farm in Eastern Canada. As a young boy, he worked the farm where they grew and harvested many fruits and vegetables. Jim and his father would pick the product and load it on a wagon that was hitched to a team of horses. In this way, they transported their fresh picked produce to the local market for sale. Jim was in the produce and grocery business all his life and passed his knowledge and love for the industry to his son, John.
Roke was at Tri-County Produce even before Jim & John. Now at 99 years young, Roke still works full time at the warehouse.
John Dixon has been in the food business for over 40 years. John’s motto, “We are here to serve the customer,” has been his guiding principle. For John, keeping the customer satisfied is his #1 priority.
Together, Jim and John grew Tri-County Produce for over 30 years until Jim passed away in 2016. Now John carries the tradition forward with new challenges and opportunities ahead.
In 2020, Tri-County produce launched its first digital service, TCPSB.COM, as a response to the COVID-19 public health crisis. John Dixon has been planning a range of digital services since 2019 with the goal to merge tradition and technology to create a safer, more convenient shopping experience.
